


A Cute Plant Dude and Konoha's Yellow Flash's Mini-Me

by zubateatscakes



Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Mild Language, Slice of Life, Strangers to Lovers, Zetsu-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 09:09:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21241652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubateatscakes/pseuds/zubateatscakes
Summary: The container quickly approaches carelessly until he’s a couple of feet away and just stares at him. Zetsu can see why they call him an idiot. The kid’s got no sense of preservation. Zetsu could’ve offed him in at least a thousand six hundred and thirty-seven unique ways, and that is without even trying to be creative.He’s brought out of his reverie by the cold wet feeling of water of his feet and the sound of an emptying water bottle.The brat iswateringhim.“Kid, the fuck are you doing?” Zetsu says, channelling his black half’s thoughts, while his white half laughs his arse off.Or, Zetsu observes Naruto, who notices.





	A Cute Plant Dude and Konoha's Yellow Flash's Mini-Me

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it! Let me know what you think!

The first time Zetsu meets the nine-tailed fox beast container, said container is but a five year-old carbon copy of his late father—Minato Namikaze, also known as Konoha’s Yellow Flash and the only ninja who had a _flee on sight _warning on the Bingo Book when he was alive. 

He has been observing him for a while, contemplating whether he might speed up the Old Fool’s plan and trick him into awakening his own mother. He could pick the container up and disappear from the village. It’d even be too easy, and hardly anyone would care. They might even thank him. Fools.

Then again, he’s waited for centuries, and a few more years will certainly not weight on him too much. After all, it’s better to move once everything is set than to rush and try to make things work. 

Now, as the sun hides under the horizon, the container is skedaddling through the Forest of Death as if his life depended on it, which it does. Unsurprisingly. Jinchuurikis are rarely accepted by ignorant civilians and by ninja blinded by pain after all. 

He stumbles upon a clearing none too far from Zetsu, who is carefully hiding amongst the trees. The civilians won’t follow the jinchuuriki here. They are scared. Of him, and of this place. They’ll hope and pray that he’ll die here and spare them the hassle to kill him themselves.

The fearful monsters of the Forest don’t hurt him, though. They either steer clear of him or keep him warm at night. He doesn’t understand why the big strong ninjas that protect the village aren’t fond of this place. He doesn’t know that the monsters don’t protect anyone else.

The container turns around and stares into the woods and stills, his breath slowing and his pupils dilating. 

Zetsu would find it entertaining like watching a documentary or studying a new target and gathering intelligence if he didn’t notice that the kid was staring at him, eyes tracking his every move with imperceptible, precise trajectories. Detected by the village’s idiot who’s rumoured to be so dumb that he can’t even put two and two together. 

He should feel ashamed of his infiltration and stealth skills. He doesn’t, though. He avoids ANBU ninjas and jounins as easily as he breaths, but the kid has noticed him without even trying. There’s obviously more than what meets the eye. 

He should take him before the kid spreads the news, but he doesn’t. He doesn’t even leave, although his mission his clearly compromised now. He stays still instead and studies him. 

The container quickly approaches carelessly until he’s a couple of feet away and just stares at him. Zetsu can see why they call him an idiot. The kid’s got no sense of preservation. Zetsu could’ve offed him in at least a thousand six hundred and thirty-seven unique ways, and that is without even trying to be creative.

He’s brought out of his reverie by the cold wet feeling of water of his feet and the sound of an emptying water bottle. 

The brat is _watering_ him. 

“Kid, the fuck are you doing?” Zetsu says, channelling his black half’s thoughts, while his white half mentally laughs his arse off. 

Black Zetsu isn’t as amused, though he doesn’t know whether the kid is brilliant or as dumb as shit. He guesses that, either way, the difference is not so big. 

“You need to grow. You’re small,” the brat says and moves his arm in a wide gesture to refer to the trees, “Look at how big are your big brothers.”

He laughs at his own joke and runs away. “Bye Plant Dude!”

Zetsu stares at the kid’s retreating figure with a poker face before White Zetsu wins and chuckles. His black half thinks he should be angry. 

He isn’t. 

***

The second time Zetsu meets the container, the kid is already seven years old. The information gatherer has decided to take a long break from spying on the brat lest he cause problems to his own plan. In the past two years, however, no search party has been sent to locate him, so he deems it safe to check on the kid once more.

Like the first time, he’s wandering about in the Forest of Death when he senses the brat’s chakra signature fast approaching. He’s alone, and there is no one following him. And he’s already detected him. 

Zetsu sighs and massages his temples. Maybe he should change job.

He waits. And waits. 

The footsteps does not come from the ground. He frowns before realisation hits him in the same way he hit the ANBU from Kirigakure last month. With a punch on the nose. For shits and giggles, of course. Nonetheless, it’s already too late. 

The kid jumps down onto his shoulders and places something on his shock of green hair.

“Cute,” he giggles after staring at the spy. He runs away yet another time. “A pretty flower for a pretty Plant Dude.”

Zetsu pats his hair and takes the item off his head. It is a beautiful flower—one that has been treated with great care despite the run and jump it has endured. 

He really wants to chase the brat and punch him senseless.

“But we’re cute, Black!” White Zetsu giggles. 

“Shut up,” Black Zetsu orders.

He doesn’t chase the kid.

***

The third time Zetsu meets the nine-tailed beast container, they’re in the Forest of Death like the other two times. However, he’s the one to initiate contact first.

The brat is comfortably sitting amongst a pack of wolves and absentmindedly petting the fur of one of the largest specimen as if it is an everyday occurrence, which—knowing the kid—probably is. 

It’s the night of the tenth of October. It is the brat’s tenth birthday, but Zetsu doubts many people remember. He guesses that it is kind of sad that a spy who sooner or later should take his life is one of the only few who does.

It’s getting cold early this year, but the kid obviously doesn’t care, and, if he does, he just snuggles closer to his animal friends not to feel it while he eats raw meat gathered from some recently killed prey.

Zetsu sighs. He’s no human, and he doesn’t know how much the sealed fox is actually helping the kid, but he doesn’t think the brat should eat deer meat before cooking it. 

He comes into the clearing with branches in his arms and unceremoniously drops them down on the ground before building a rudimentary fireplace. He uses a low level fire technique to ignite the firewood and orders him, “Cook the meat.”

The brat’s lips twist into the happiest grin Zetsu has ever seen in his whole life. “I’m Naruto!”

“Zetsu.” Zetsu shouldn’t reveal any sensitive information, and his name is pretty sensitive, but he knows that Naruto will not tell anyone, so he lets the piece of information slip him.

They keep each other company in a companionable silence for the rest of the night. 

Zetsu leaves before Naruto wakes up.

***

The Third Hokage is dead. 

Naruto spends an hour hugging Zetsu and crying on his shoulder in the Forest of Death. He leaves to search for Tsunade.

Zetsu doesn’t know whether he should abandon his plan or not. On the one hand, Naruto’s life _has_ been pretty awful, and it might be considered a good deed to end it quickly. On the other hand, however, he’s not certain he wants to kill him.

***

Zetsu has managed to remain in the shadow for years. He’s done such a perfect job that Naruto doesn’t even know that the spy is part of Akatsuki, although the brat has had to fight them for years to stay alive. 

The organisation has already gathered seven tailed beasts and is following Madara’s legacy. The few remaining members wants to proceed with the dumb infinite illusion plan he’s fed Madara for decades without noticing that it’s utter crap and will not bring peace or soothe their pain. 

He should want to end this quickly, awake his mother and rid the world of those stupid, mostly despicable humans, but he doesn’t.

War breaks. People die. 

Naruto is on the battlefield, and so is Zetsu. They meet on the front line. Zetsu flees.

Tobi—Obito Uchiha—is furious and chases him to the hideout. He wants to use his eyes to force him to do his bidding.

Zetsu knows how those eyes work, however, and is having none of that. He eats Tobi.

_It’s not stress eating_, he swears to himself. _I can stop whenever I want._

Without its leader, the Akatsuki faction loses in a few days, and the Ninja Alliance wins. 

Zetsu goes into hiding and thinks about the personification of sunshine. Naruto.

***

It’s been three years since the war. Naruto is nineteen years old now and the civilians don’t hate him any longer. They respect him as a leader and a hero. 

Zetsu has kept to the shadows, wanting nothing more to see his sunshine thrive, improving his stealth skills and managing to stay out of Naruto’s detection range while still observing him and his influence in the world. Or so he thinks.

Naruto is travelling to Sunagakure through the woods. _They _are travelling, but the brat isn’t supposed to know. However, he does know. 

He often noticed Zetsu’s presence nearby in the past years, but he waited and waited. And waited. Today, he decides that he is done waiting. He quickly disappears from sight and reappears a few yards behind the information gatherer. 

“You know, I really think we should talk because this clearly isn’t working,” he says cheerfully before deftly reappearing right behind him and whispering cheekily in his ear, “Not that I mind it.”

He jumps backwards to leave him enough space.

Black Zetsu blushes, and White Zetsu mentally laughs at the embarrassment his counterpart is feeling. 

Zetsu hangs his head and apologises.

“What for?” Naruto asks. He’s not trying to make it painful or be annoying. He simply doesn’t understand because in his mind Zetsu has done nothing to apologise for.

“Trying to kill you? The war?” 

“You’ve never tried to kill me though,” Naruto thinks out loud, “You’ve never had any real intention to. The villagers did, and I don’t hate them anyway. I’ve never have. And you’ve helped our side in the war. We’re cool.”

Zetsu stares at him, trying to see any hint of a lie or hatred and pain, but he does not find anything.

“Is this why you were trying to stay unnoticed for years?” Naruto asks innocently. 

“… Yes.”

“I missed you.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Let’s have some ramen!” he shouts cheerfully and drags him by the hand. “And… Zetsu? I like you.”

_He likes us_, White Zetsu mentally coos. 

_Shut up, White. He doesn’t like us that way_, Black Zetsu curtly says.

“But, Zetsu, I _do_ like-like you that way,” Naruto flirts, feigning obliviousness, though his cheeky grin betrays him.

_Shit, I said that aloud_, Black Zetsu thinks.

White Zetsu giggles like a hyena.


End file.
